When Closing Up Shop Actually Opens New Doors with Christina Beta

Jun 11

This episode is part of Community Chats, a special segment of the ScaleSmart Podcast where I sit down with SLPs, OTs, and PTs from our community to share the stories you don't always hear. Because growth doesn't only come from the same few voices. It comes from learning from people who are actually in it with you.

Christina Beta is a speech therapist with over 25 years of experience, primarily in school-based settings. She opened a private practice clinic in 2023, built something she was proud of, and then made the hard call to close it when it started costing her more than it was giving. What came next was a pivot she did not plan for, and one that is turning out to be a really good fit.

In this conversation, we get into:

Why Christina closed her clinic after a year and what finally made the decision feel right, even when it felt like failure
How she fell into IEEs through a referral from a psychologist colleague and what that first evaluation actually looked like
The gap she is filling for autistic children with high IQs who are testing out of speech services but still need pragmatic and social communication support
How she structures her IEE services, from the evaluation and report to coaching packages, school visits, and professional development
Her advice for SLPs who want to start offering IEEs and where to begin building those referral relationships

If you have ever closed something down and wondered what comes next, or if IEEs have been on your radar and you did not know where to start, this conversation is worth your time.